09/06/2026
SACEP REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON DEMONSTRATION OF EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY AND PLASTIC CREDIT SYSTEMS
The South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) under the World Bank funded Plastic Free Rivers and Seas in South Asia (PLEASE) Project convened for a Regional Learning exchange on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Plastic Credit Systems. The 3-day event from 8 -10 June 2026 gathered 69 participants from six South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) including government officials from the Environment Ministry and line agencies, and PLEASE Grantees.
The event was graced by Gita Chaudhary, Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Nepal. Speaking at the event, Honorable Minister noted the need of EPR as a critical policy approach to tackle plastic waste by making the producers responsible for their plastic packaging, and attracting financing to plastic waste management through market mechanisms such as plastic credits. Additionally, she highlighted the need for strong regional cooperation among South Asian countries to address shared environmental challenges including plastic pollution.
SACEP Director General, Norbu Wangchuk, welcomed and invited the delegates to use this event as a platform to engage South Asian countries who are at various stages of EPR journey but all have aligned interest and understanding of EPR as a policy approach to address plastic pollution. For example, Nepal has, for the first time, introduced the term “EPR” in its Plastic Bag Regulation and Control Directive 2082 B.S. (2026); Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan are navigating EPR; Bangladesh is vetting its EPR Framework, Sri Lanka is drafting EPR Regulation and ready to implement EPR as soon as the National Environmental Act is approved by the Parliament. Whilst, India is the only country with full implementation of EPR for plastic packaging waste, with 11 years of learning and navigating the EPR journey that other South Asian countries can learn from.
Reiterating the importance of regional co-operation and collaboration, SACEP Director General Norbu Wangchuk called on member countries to continue building on 40+ years of regional cooperation — transforming shared challenges such as transboundary plastic pollution into shared solutions through peer learning, exchanging and transferring shared solutions.
“This regional gathering represents an important step toward closing the gap between plastic pollution policy and on-the-ground implementation across South Asia. By convening regulator, industry, and practitioners around real-world tools and tested models, SACEP is committed to help build the regional architecture that a circular plastic economy requires”
- Norbu Wangchuk, director general, SACEP
The three-day programme is structured as a learning and reflection on regional applicability- moving from the theory of EPR to the demonstration of EPR in India. The learning sessions are a blend of EPR system design, digital compliance monitoring, and enforcement processes, with experience-sharing from producers, recyclers, and waste processors from India; process and experience of participating in plastic credit systems, and a field visit to PLEASE Project funded material recovery facility in the Kathmandu valley.
